Broos welcomes selection headache amidst Bafana's growing depth

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos. Photo credit: SAFA

Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos welcomes a selection headache as the national team prepares for the next FIFA window, buoyed by the impressive performances of several players.

Broos opted not to select Mamelodi Sundowns players during the current window due to their participation in the FIFA Club World Cup in the USA. Instead, the outspoken coach used the opportunity to blood new talent into the squad.

He has been pleased with the performances over the past few days, as new faces like Mohau Nkota, Khulumani Ndamane, Tshepang Moremi, Ashley Cupido (who scored the second goal on Tuesday), and Mbekezeli Mbokazi all delivered solid performances in the two friendlies.

Bafana Bafana played out a goalless draw against Tanzania last Friday at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, followed by a comfortable 2-0 victory over Mozambique on Tuesday night at the same venue.

The Belgian coach fielded different starting line-ups in both matches, creating significant depth for the national team. This depth now includes the players from the recent friendlies, those currently competing in the COSAFA Cup under coach Vela Khumalo, the Mamelodi Sundowns contingent, and the victorious South Africa Under-20 national team that recently won the U20 CAF Africa Cup of Nations.

Moreover, Broos has identified other players, playing locally and in Europe, who are on his radar but haven't yet received a call-up.

"We scored twice [against Mozambique], so yes, everything is positive about the past few days," Broos stated. "This is something that will make my job very difficult in the next few months, when you see that we have 23 players there in Polokwane. You know that there are still maybe also 23 who are with their clubs, still with their clubs or who are at home. So that means we can choose now between 40 players."

He acknowledged the tough decisions ahead of the 2025 AFCON and 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers: "This will be difficult because you have to drop players in September, players maybe who deserved it, but OK. I have to make choices, but this also means players will be more motivated because they know that there are guys behind them who are waiting to take their places. This will bring the level higher, certainly, that will bring the level higher."